Fermentation Products

Small molecules,
huge impact

800 Fermentation Products are within our portfolio

Fermentation products are mainly produced by microbes and have a low molar mass of about 800 g /mol. Due to their tiny size, small molecules, according to the Rule of Five (oral bioavailability according to Christopher Lipinski), are able to penetrate cells and to act there. The currently approved drugs (antibiotics, etc.) are mainly low molecular weight compounds. Cfm Oskar Tropitzsch GmbH offers more than 800 fermentation products. The applications are almost unlimited. Whether pharmaceutical, agro-biotech or food analysis: fermentation products always play an important role. On behalf of our customers, we conduct screenings with our partners to find new substances for new applications. If these substances are isolated, a complicated up-scaling process follows – in order to increase the production quantities from milligrams to grams or even kilograms.

New ways in cancer therapy

We overcome hurdles

Non-small cell lung cancer is a huge problem in our industrial society. Pharmaceutical companies around the world are trying to develop a targeted cancer therapy. One of our US customers found a promising approach via the Hsp90 inhibitor. Hsp90, short for heat shock protein, stabilizes a number of proteins responsible for the survival of cancer cells. The hypothesis: If Hsp90 is inhibited, cancer cells can no longer be repaired and the cancer can be combated.

Geldanamycin is a biologically active chemical compound, a benzoquinone of ansamycin, produced by the bacterium Streptomyces hygroscopicus. Geldanamycin was the agent of choice for our customer to fight the treacherous lung cancer.

The substance is available on the market in milligram quantities. Our customer urgently required 5 kilograms for his research in a strictly defined quality. Our research showed that there was no suitable manufacturer available and the substance would only be obtainable with enormous lead time and the greatest financial outlay for process development.

The task for the fermentation team around Michael Schäffler, Lisa Meier and Alexander Glombik as QM commissioner was: 5 kilograms of Geldanamycin, sustainably produced in a non-GMP environment (but transferable), available at short notice and reasonably priced.

The key to success was the contact to the natural product unit of a pharmaceutical company. Michael Schäffler asked his business partner if the substance Geldanamycin was known. The question was answered in affirmative, confirming a long-standing experience with the molecule and the will to accept the project and to examine the availability of production capacities. Furthermore, an internal approval was necessary, whether an actual sale of the goods to Cfm was possible.

Big corporations and quick decisions – often this is mutually exclusive. In this case, we were pleasantly surprised: Our team realized a meeting and convinced the responsible management: Cfm received a special status from the manufacturer.

Thanks to the availability of appropriate sized fermenters, free production slots and our know-how, we quickly had the opportunity to obtain the required 5 kilograms and bring our customer‘s project a decisive step ahead.

Fermentation Products Michael Schäffler

Michael Schäffler
Senior Project Manager

Cfm Fermentation Products